Work sheet holding means for flat platen business machines and the like



Aug. 31, 1954 E E 2,687,795

WORK SHEET HOLDING MEANS FOR FLAT PLATEN BUSINESS MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed JunelS, 1953 lNl/E/VTOR ELMEI? L. W/SE fi dmfaz Patented Aug. 31, 1954 WORK SHEET HOLDIN PLATEN BUSINESS LIKE Elmer L. Wise,

G MEANS FOR FLAT MACHINES AND THE Farmington, Conn., assignor to UnderwoodCorporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 15, 1953, Serial No. 361,463

Claims.

1 The present invention relates to business machines such as typewriters and accounting machines and particularly to flat platen accounting machines of the well-known Underwood Elliott Fisher type. More especially the invention relates to means for holding work sheets or forms ilat against the platen as the type head or carriage moves back and forth in letter-feed and return directions.

It is generally necessary or desirable to have more than one form or work sheet in an accounting machine at a time, for example, there may be a billhead and a ledger sheet and there may also be a relatively narrow tally strip. The normal procedure in such cases is to print the desired data first on the billhead, a carbon sheet below the billhead causing certain of the data to be simultaneously reproduced upon the ledger sheet. After printing the bill, the printing point is shifted with relation to the forms so that other data may be printed directly on the ledger gsheet, after which the printing point may at times be shifted again to print directly upon a tally. As is well known, with the Underwood Elliott Fisher machine it is the type head or carriage which is shifted for letter-feeding, whereas with machines having a cylindrical platen it is generally the work-carrying platen which is shifted for letter-feeding.

Flat platen machines are known wherein the type head or carriage is mounted for letter-feed and return movement upon a pair of front and rear rails which extend across the platen in close proximity thereto and with such machines it is the usual practice to provide a downwardly urged plate along the lower edge of the front "rail for the purpose of holding the forms or work sheets .iiat against the platen.

Flat platen machines are there is no front rail for head. In such machines, one example of which is shown in the application of Sundstrand and Swanson, Serial No. 262,614, filed December 20, 1951, the type carriage is mounted on upper and lower rear rails and extends forwardly cantilever-like over the platen. With this construction, there has been no way to hold the righthand edge of the forms against the platen and when the type head returned from its extreme right-hand position the lower edge thereof was apt to strike against the right-hand edge of the bilihead and bend or mangle the form. It is with this type of machine that the present invention is particularly concerned.

also known wherein It is an object of this invention to provide an supporting the type in! improved flat platen accounting machine with means to prevent the right-hand edge of forms or work sheets from curling upwardly away from the platen.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved means for holding forms or work sheets flat against the platen of a fiat platen accounting machine so that as the type head returns to line-start position after having been letter-spaced or tabulated to the right of the right-hand edge of a narrow form, said type head will not strike against the right-hand edge of said narrow form and damage the same.

These and further objects, features and advantages will become readily apparent as the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention proceeds.

Referring now to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an accounting machine embodying the: invention and Figure 2 is a front elevational View of the device of this invention showing a portion of the accounting machine in section.

Since a knowledge of the complete accounting machine is not necessary for an understanding of the present invention, the same has not been shown in full or in detail. In general however, the machine comprises a stationary framework including a pair of iore-and-aft extending brackets Iii, only one of which is shown, which may be secured to or form a part of a suitable stand. Secured to each bracket H), as best shown in Figure 2, is a member ll having a channel portion l2 within which are mounted rollers l3 rotata-bly secured to a platen frame. The platen frame may be of any suitable construction and in the illustrated embodiment comprises side members l4 carrying the rollers l3 and having secured thereto racks I5. Secured to the lower portion ofthe members M are reinforcing members it, only one of which is shown. Mounted on studs Il extending through the members I4 and it are guide rollers 18, one of which is shown in Figure 2, which bear against the sides of the members H. A fiat platen IQ of suitable construction extends between the side members [4 and is urged upwardly by suitable spring means, not shown, against the lower side of upper angle portions 2% of the members It. The platen may be depressed when desired sothat a form or work sheet may be slipped between the angle portion 20 and the platen to clamp one edge of the work sheet to the platen. In the illustrated machine the platen frame and platen are moved rearwardly for line-spacing, as explained in the above referred to application of Sundstrand and Swanson, and the rollers 13 and 18 support and guide respectively the platen frame during linespacing and return movements. As explained in the Sundstrand and Swanson application, the platen is moved by means of gears, not shown, which mesh with the racks I5.

Mounted upon the bracket members 10 and extending across the machine above the level of the top of the platen is a framework comprising a pair Of heavy castings 2|, only one of which is shown, to which are connected a number of cross members, one of which is indicated in Figure 1 at 22. The castings 21 have shoes 23 pivotally connected thereto, which shoes rest upon the brackets l and bear against the outside of the angle portions [2 of the members I l to locate the framework sideways with respect to the platen. Locating means in the form of tongued elements 24 secured to the castings 2| and cooperating notched elements 25 secured to the brackets prevent movement of the framework with respect to said brackets in a fore-and-aft direction.

The cross member 22 serves as the lower track member on which a type head generally indicated at 26 is mounted by means of wheels, one of which is indicated at 21, for back and forth movement across the platen. There is also an upper track, not shown herein but described in the above referred to Sundstrand and Swanson application, located directly above the cross member 22 and the type head is actually supported by the combined cooperation of the two tracks and extends forwardly thereof cantileverlike over the platen in close proximity thereto for typing upon forms or work sheets carried by said platen. The type head is urged in letter-feed direction by the usual spring drum 28 and its letter-feed movement is controlled by the usual escapement mechanism including an escapement rack 29.

The type head and the framework on which it is supported are provided with cooperating mechanisms, as is well known, by means of which addition and subtraction may be performed under the control of the numeral keys of the keyboard 38 of the type head 26.

The above briefly described mechanisms and elements are merely illustrative of one embodiment of the type of machine with which the present invention is particularly useful and it will be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

As indicated above, it is the usual practice to have more than one form or work sheet in the machine at a time and in Figure 1 a billhead has been shown at 3| and a ledger sheet at 32. When the forms are inserted or placed on the platen, the platen will be depressed and the left-hand edge of the forms inserted beneath the angle portion 20 so that when the platen is allowed to rise to its normal position the forms will be held in place by the clamping action between the platen and the angle portion 20.

It will be understood that a carbon sheet is ordinarily provided beneath at least a portion of the billhead so that certain data may be simultaneously reproduced on the billhead and the ledger sheet. The type head 26 will of course be first positioned in its extreme left-hand position and letter-spaced and tabulated to the right as the bill is made out. After completing the bill, the type head will be tabulated further to the right to permit certain data to be typed directly on the ledger sheet and after that may be moved still further to the right for printing on a tally or the like, not shown. It will be-seen that when the type head moves to its right-hand position, the lower left-hand edge thereof is positioned to the right of the right-hand edge of the billhead and it will be apparent that unless the billhead is flat against the platen the right-hand edge thereof is apt to become entangled with the type head during the return of said type head to its lefthand or line-start position.

To prevent curling of the right-hand edge of the billhead and to hold same flat against the platen, the following mechanism is provided. A flexible tape 33 is detachably secured at one end to the lower left-hand edge of the type head and the other end of said tape is fixed to and wound around a spring drum 34 rotatably mounted on a bracket plate 35 provided upon the left-hand casting 2|. Mounted upon the bracket 35 may be a pair of small pulleys 36 and 31 about which the tape is guided so that its stretch across the platen will be substantially parallel thereto.

The right-hand end of the tape 33 may advantageously extend beneath a tab 38 provided on the type head so that the tape is beneath the lowest portion of the type head. The spring drum 34 is so biased that as the type head moves to the right the tape will unwind from the drum and as the type head moves back to the left the tape will be rewound. It will be obvious that if desired the spring drum may be mounted on the type head and the tape fixed to the framework at its left-hand end.

With this arrangement it will be apparent that the tape 33 constitutes in effect an elastic extension of the type head and that with the type head in its right-hand position, the tape will hold the billhead 3! flat against the platen and will prevent the right-hand edge thereof from becoming entangled with the lower left-hand edge of the type head as said type head is returned to the left.

While the invention has been described as embodied in an accounting machine other embodiments readily suggest themselves.

Having described a preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, a flat work surface for supporting sheet material, a work head for performing an operation upon said sheet material, said work head being mounted for movement forth and back across said work surface in close proximity to the sheet material, a tape for holding the sheet material flat against said work surface, said tape having one end fixed in relation to said work surface and the other end fixed in relation to said work head, a spring drum on which one end of said tape is wound, said spring drum being so biased that as the work head moves forth the tape will unwind to overlie the sheet material and when said Work head moves back the tape will be rewound on said drum.

2. In a device of the class described, a flat work supporting surface, means at one edge of said surface for securing one edge of substantially rectangular work sheets thereto, a work head mounted for movement back and forth across said surface, the lower edge of said work head being in close proximity to the work sheets, a spring drum mounted to one side of said work supporting surface, a tape secured at one end to said spring drum and partially wound therearound, the other end of said tape being secured to the adjacent lower edge of said work head, said spring drum being so biased that as the work head moves over the work supporting surface away from the spring drum the tape will be unwound therefrom and lie over the top of the work sheets and when the work head returns toward the spring drum said drum will rewind the tape.

3. In a machine of the class described, a fiat platen for supporting work sheets, a type head movable from left to right and return over said platen, the lower portion of said type head being in close proximity to said platen, a flexible tape extending between the lower portion of said type head and a point somewhat to the left of the left-hand edge of said platen, one end of said tape being fixed and the other end being wound upon a spring drum, the spring drum being so biased that as the type head moves from left to right said tape will unwind from the drum to hold the work sheets against said platen and as the type head moves back to the left said drum will rewind the tape.

4. In a machine of the class described, a fiat platen, means extending along the left-hand edge of said platen for securing the left-hand edge of work sheets thereto, a type head movable from left to right and return over said platen, the lower portion of said type head being in close proximity to said platen, a flexible tape extending between the lower portion of said type head and a point somewhat to the left of the left-hand edge of said platen, one end of said tape being fixed and the other end being wound upon a spring drum, the spring drum being so biased that as the type head moves from left to right said tape will unwind from the drum to prevent the work sheets from curling and as the type head moves back to the left said drum will rewind the tape.

5. In a machine of the class described, a flat platen, means extending along the left-hand edge of said platen for securing the left-hand edge of work sheets thereto, a framework mounting a type head for movement from left to right and return across said platen, said type head being supported at the rear thereof on said framework and extending forwardly from said framework cantilever-like over said platen, the lower forward edge of said type head being in close proX- imity to said platen, a spring drum mounted on said framework to the left of the left-hand edge of said platen, a tape having one end wound on said spring drum and the other end thereof being secured to the lower forward edge of said type head, said drum being so biased that as the type head moves across the platen from left to right the tape will unwind from said drum to prevent curling of the work sheets and as the type head moves back to the left said drum will rewind the tape.

No references cited. 

